The Ketchum keystone. [volume] (Ketchum, Idaho) 1885-1899, 1887-03-05
CAPT. JOE'S REVENGE.
Indians Murder DlIx Comrades,
bat Many Pay the Penalty.
New York Sun.

New York sun.
"Game had become shy and
scarce in our immediate vicinity,
and made jaunt of-about six
miles up the river to reach some
wooded bottom lands" said Capt.
Joe Smith of Kansas, describing
an adventure on the Cimmaron
river. "It was mid-afternoon be-
fore / returned, having the hind
quarters OF doe and fine turkey.
| took the usual precautions when
approaching camp, but met no
alarm until / entered it. Then |
found White dead and scalped and
brutally disfigured,. Benson miss
ing, and all our traps and peltries
and other property gone. The In
dians had been there. | was so
taken aback that it was some min
utes before ! could act. Then /
went out to scour for their trail
and seek evidence as to whether
Benson had been carried off or
murdered. / was circling about the
place when | heard a voice family
calling, and entered thicket about
eight rods from camp, to find Ben
son lying on the ground in his
blood; he had been wounded in
three places. He was hardly bet
ter than a dead man, and it was in
whispers that he told me the story
| had been gone about two hours,
and he had started for the river to
get some water, when he was fired
upon, and six Indians dashed at
him. Benson had Henry rifle in
his hand, and he treed and returned
the fire, killing one of the Indians.
They were between him and the
camp, and while two of them held
him at bay the other three went in
and killed White and packed up
the property. Benson. could not
expose himself, nor could he pursue
when they drew off. Had they
hungered for his life they could
easily have taken it, but they
seemed satisfied with what they had
accomplished. The man didn't
live an hour after relating the par
ticuiars, and | went down on my
knees by his dead body and swore
to revenge my comrades.
"a month later twenty men OF
us-pioneers, hunters, Indian fight
ers and scouts-banded together to
hustle band of five or six redskins
who had captured and run off some
horses from a couple OF ranches ~
ing between the south fork of the
Platte and the sorth fork of the Nj
obrara rivers. They had full
days start, but their captured ami
mails were obstinate and unruly,
and they made slow progress. |
had been selected captain of the
band, and about sundown of the
first day, knowing pretty well the
route the Indians must take for the
next two, ! called in some of the
oldest scouts for consultation. The
result was that we planned a short
cut and rode all night and until
noon the next day to make sure
work of it. Then we took posi-
ton in dry run bordering the
, edge of a narrow valley through
which the Indians were expected
, and every man saw that his fire
arms were in order. We had over
/ two hours to arrange the details
, and when the savages finally ap-
peared in sight we were gratiiied tc
discover that the band we had first
[ pursued had been strengthened
: along the route by others. Their,
: were now thirteen redskins. We
were stationed along the run about
5 four feet apart, and it was under
stood that not shot was to be
| fred until the head of the banC
: was fairly abreast of the head o
; our line. 1t seemed so bad that
: there were not just twenty Indians
r so as to give us man for man, bu
| that was a matter we could not i'm
S prove on.
f "They came into the valley with
out the slightest suspicion of ou
presence. The herd was driving
better, causing no trouble, anc
some of the Indians seemed to b'
asleep as they logged along. Al
:. they rode in close order their linz
: did not exceed ours in length, anC
: every one was fair target as w
, got the signal and fired upon them
7 Nine of them kecled off their sad
!, dies rs dead as bricks, while TIN
: other four were wounded, and wer,
dispatched by second shots. No
), one of them was alive two minute
after the first trigger was pulled
and, as l rolled the body Of tn
leader under my foot / felt tha
poor white and Benson might sleel
,, better in their lonely graves"